Good feedback!

I think it is fundamentally a bad game for multiplayer. They took a system designed to make a singular player feel like a god tearing through hordes of lesser beings in planes and tried to make a multiplayer mode of it. Imagine dynasty warriors multiplayer but with planes

there's no way you even got the game running. Cap

It's funny seeing 101 hours and zero achievements. (Obviously coz there's no mp achis)

Originally posted by rucya:

"This post was translated from Japanese using AI, so there might be some awkward or unnatural phrasing."

Watching a scene where 3x ECM craft spawned lined up side-by-side...
"What legendary taste... Is it time to hang up my wings in MP?"
After a quiet sigh, a wry smile crossed my face.

⚖️ Part 1. Weapon & Meta Balance

◇ "ECM" Balance Breakdown

• The Situation:
  
  • Just 1 ECM jet on a team turns the match into a total breeze.
    
  • Tap a button twice -> Guaranteed victory.
    
  • Free target practice without taking any incoming fire.
    
  • -> Complete collapse of team battle balance.
    
  
  
• Suggestions for Adjustment:
  
  • "ECM: Jamming to deny lock-ons entirely"
    
  • Currently, there is virtually zero effective counter-play.
    
  • Don't just tweak radius and duration — cancel ECM instantly upon switching weapons.
    
  • Make it a comeback tool: scale its strength based on score gap (stronger when losing).
    
  
  
• Concern:
  
  • What if players start blocking ECM abusers? -> Worried it'll lead to "Matchmaking Failures" and hurt the overall player base.
    
  
  
• A Player's Honest Feeling:
  
  • Having an ECM teammate steals the thrill of a hard-earned victory.
    
  • Playing against it feels unfair, and win or lose, it wastes precious time.
    

◇ "LAAM" Balance Breakdown

• Long-Range: 6x engagement distance.
  
• Close-Range: Sharp 90-degree snap tracking.
  
• Concern:
  
  • This is happening with basic ★2 upgrade parts.
    
  • What happens when ★4 / ★5 parts and high-tier airframes drop? Where is the meta headed?
    

◇ The Meta Loop & A Better Scoring System
If ECM and LAAM get nerfed, everyone will simply hop onto QAAMs next — that's all.

As long as low-effort, high-reward crutches exist, this endless meta-chasing loop won't stop!

-> The Fix: We need a scoring system that rewards true skill, effort, and dogfighting process.

1. Penalizing Low-Effort Crutches:

• Points earned purely off "weapon specs" set to 0.
  
• Apply a negative multiplier to points lost when shot down.
  
• Apply a negative multiplier based on equipped weapon upgrade levels.

2. Rewarding True Skill:

• Apply a positive multiplier for gun hits and gun kills!
  
• Points earned from auto-aim guns set to 0.

🎯 Part 2. Core Gameplay Mechanics & UI

【 Where Is the Airborne Box Heading? 】

• Current State (Pure Chaos):
  
  • A "▢" floats in the sky with zero movement cues.
    
  • Predicting its next move: Impossible.
    
  • -> 【CHAOS】 Pure RNG chaos with zero learning curve. Just chasing stat boxes.
    
  
  
• Ideal State (Skill-Driven Domain):
  
  • Zoom in on "▢" and see a "⇨" vector arrow!
    
  • "▢" is breaking "right" next — Predictable!
    
  • -> Turn the nose ahead, read the maneuver, and strike first!
    
  • -> 【DOMAIN EXPANSION】 The skill ceiling skyrockets!
    

ℹ️ Active Target Window (PiP):
A real-time Picture-in-Picture display showing your locked target (enemy jet, ground unit, structure). (Loved in ACE6!)

【 Fighting Boxes in the Sky ~ Ace Combat Online 】

• Q. What makes up 90% of what players actually look at?
  
• A. Floating emblems and tiny "▢" bounding boxes.

Beautiful aircraft skins are forgotten instantly, and player presence gets squished into a tiny square.
(We need to show off our jets more — even for skin sales, it's a missed opportunity!)

-> A system where you can always see who you are dueling — THAT is the 【Active Target Window】.

【 View Angle & The Key to Being an Ace 】
Dogfighting without the Active Target Window is like driving a sports car on a racetrack without side mirrors or rearview mirror.
In a dogfight, seeing the enemy's pitch angle is the core experience of becoming a real Ace!

• 3rd-Person View: Visible (Hold Target Button) -> The ONLY viable choice!
  
• HUD View: Blind... (Lacks visual depth)
  
• Cockpit View: Most... invisible?! (Purely blind)

The 【Active Target Window】, which bridged this gap across all 3 view modes, was introduced in ACE6 and then hidden away... (Whoever shelved it, let's have a friendly chat on the rooftop!)

To truly fly like an Ace in ACE8:
Mastering 3rd-Person View (& Holding Target) remains the ultimate key.

【 Special Weapon Request 】

• Please bring us "Lead-Angle Missiles" as a special weapon!
  
• Predict the opponent's line, maneuver ahead, and fire — a rewarding system where player skill truly shines.

【 Final Thoughts 】
Beyond head-on jousts, there is so much potential left untapped. As a lifelong pilot of the skies, I share this out of deep passion for where ACE8 online could go!

I am merely an old veteran pilot who still loves these skies.
Thank you for sharing this flight with me!

🛠️ Part 3. Issues & Ideas Corner (QoL Improvements)

1. Lobby & Audio Freedom

• Lobby Stage Video Audio: Give us peace on the ground from constant missile lock alarms! Add an interactive speaker object to toggle Sound On/Off (and save the setting). Expand video variety (PVs, personal highlights, live player spectating).

2. Smooth Matchmaking Flow

• Lobby Restrictions: Don't cancel matchmaking when editing hangars, viewing player lists, or talking to NPCs.
  
• 1-Player Drop Fix: Automatically re-queue seamlessly instead of kicking everyone out.
  
• Quick Re-Matchmaking: Hold START during post-match results to stay with remaining players and fill empty slots.

3. Playful Lobby Environment

• Make the Lobby Fun Again: Return from RTB and spawn standing on a jet wing for victory screenshots with squadmates! Let us sit inside an A-10 cockpit while hanging out in the plaza.

4. Smart Item & Mission Selection

• Special Contract QoL: Don't auto-consume single-use contracts continuously; let us toggle single-use mode.
  
• Mission Selection Memory: Remember the last selected mission after Scrambles/Special Missions instead of throwing an error.

5. Sortie & Budget Airframe Options

• Countdown Skip: Force a 10-second countdown when waiting on that last unready player.
  
• Budget Airframe Customization: Allow stripping stealth/specs from high-cost jets (like F-22) so players can fly their favorite planes in low-cost lobbies! (Or disabling vectoring nozzles on Su-35 to make an Su-27!)

6. FOV & Camera Precision

• Cockpit FOV Adjustment: Add a zoom/FOV slider so cockpit view matches different monitor sizes perfectly.
  
• Horizontal Camera Invert in Lobby: Flight-sim players need both Invert Vertical & Invert Horizontal to feel at home!

7. Visual & Haptic Clarity

• HUD Color Clarity: Change friendly ▢ color to Blue to instantly distinguish allies from enemies.
  
• Haptic Feedback Balance: Tone down explosion vibrations from nearby allies/enemies so it doesn't feel like your own jet was hit.

8. Historical Lore Correction

• MiG-29 Bio Fix: Fix the in-game text: MiG-29 was designed to counter the F-16 (Su-27 was the counter to the F-15).

you got some things wrong
for example mig 29 was designed as interceptor not to counter f16
it's job was to scramble fast go high very fast fire very few weapons at enemy planes (bombers) go down and reload again, rinse and repeat, even from gras strips if needed
it for the longest time held the record as the ONLY jet that could straight after wheel of ground pitch up and burn to it's max altitude without the need of pointing the nose down again
it just kept accelerating till max flight high and stall because NOT enough oxigen for combustion
the sr71 couldn't even do that
the su 27 was design to be useable all over the giant biggest country on the planet the soviet union
notice they don't use external tanks and are huge with massive internal tanks
it's design has nothing to do with the existence of the f15

also very important i take LAAM over QAAM spam
QAAM soam is just terrible

haven't you tried ESM is ECM really better then insane tracking? i mean you are getting close when someone uses ECM and using ESM then should be instant win
doesn't ESM counter ECM?

also if you dogfight in fighter jets something went REALLY wrong
you are in the modern combat age, seeing your target and attacking it before it sees you is the key here
that's also why stealth is a thing now a days